Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-11
FAMOUS OLD CROWNS.
Some Not in the French Collection.
Sketches OF the Priceless Dia.
dems of Europe.
Charlemagne's Iron Crown-Roly Crown of
Hungary-ScOtlanc's Royal Diadem.
NRpoleon7s Special Crown.
New York Mail and Express.

have adorned royal crowns, contains none
of historic value. Those were stolen dur
ing the Revolution hundred years ago
The iron crown is boarded as q nationa
relic in the cathedral Of the little LON
bard town Mona, good days journey
from Paris. II has been there from time
immemoTial. 1t was made IN the sixth
century by g skilled Roman goldsmith
for King Autharic's energetic Queen The
odolinds, whom Pope Gregory the Great
wished TO compliment for Kidding LON
hardy of the Arisn heretics. Wher
German Emperor was to be crowned
II used to be brought to Mileno in great
state. 1t was no Joke to be crowned
Emperor OF Germany in those days Ii
had to be done three times over. First
there was Germania's silver crown, to be
received at AiX-Ia-ChapeIle; then the
iron crown st Milano. And, lastly al
Rome the Pope placed the golden diadem
upon the sOvereign'S head. Each had its
peculiar significance, but the iron crown
was held in the highest esteem. II de-
rlves its name from an iron ring within
the outer golden rim, which, according
TO tradition, was MADE from 8 nail of the
true cross. OF all ROYAL croWns2it is the
plalnest. A broad fat rim Of hammered
gold, decorated with flowers in enamel
and precious stones, not polished as dia-
monds are used nowadays, but uncut
emerslds, sapphires and rubies in their
natural shape.
The iron crown, il sacro chiodo-the
holy nail, as the inhabitants of Mona
call twas worn by Charlemagne and by
a long succession Of German emperors
after him, ending with Charles V. Napo-
leon BOnaparJe was the last sovereign
upon whose head it rested. With char
ecteristiC audacity he put it there hIn-
self. 1t was IN May, 1905, that he gath
cred about him st Milano the dignitaries
of the empire, the foreign diplomates and
his generals, and, in the presence of his
victorious army, set the crown upon his
own head with the words that stand en-
grsved on its rim; "God gave it to me.
Woe unto him who touches It,"
In 1858, when the Austrians were driven
from Lombardy, they carried the iron
crown with them, first to Mantua and
afterward to Vienna, where it was kept
until Venice was coded to Italy by the
peace OF 1866. Then it was returned to
the cathedral at Mona, and there il re-
mains still, jealousy guarded with Queen
Tneodolinda's other treasures, and the
CrCWn Of her royal husband.
The crowns worn by the Gothic kings
who ruled in Spain before the Moorish
invasion are not quite as old as the iron
crown, but they are Do:h handsomer and
cOstlier. They were found u score of
years ago in the old cemetery Fuente di
GuerraZar, near Toledo, and form now
the chief attraction In the Flung museum
There are eight Of them, and their aggre-
gate gold value exceeds $4,000. The
biggest and handsomest is nearly g foot
across, ana studded with diamor DIS,
pearls, rubies and sspphires. A row of
little crosses of gold and carnelian runs
all the way around it, and the letters
forming the words "Receswinthus Rex
Oferet" are fastened TO these with chains
of the same precious metal TWENTY-FIVE
pearls and golden tears depend from the
letters, bearing as many heart-shaped
rubies. The next largest of the crowns
is supposed to have belonged to the
queen. Like the kings it is studded
with diamonds. The whole collection
was apparently given to some
church, as was the practice in the
early Middle Ages. An inscription in all
Of the crowns reads: "In the name of
the Lord, Sonnica donates this 10 Santa
Maria di AbaXO," and it is known that a
church OF that name once stood near
Toledo. Receswinthus reigned in the
middle Of the Seventh century. 1t is
probable that the priest buried the
crowns TO hide them from the invading
20 L.
death, and they were either killed or
driven into exile, where their secret
persisted with them. The crowns were
found by accident by workmen digging a
vault in the old church yard.
The holy crown of Hungary is another
historic diadem. According to the popu-
lar tradition it was wrought by the angels
for his Apostolic Majesty, King Stephan,
l, but history records its two-fold birth,
for it is really made out of two separate
CROWDS. Pope Sylvester II sent one of
them to Stephan when he was crowned in
the year 1901; the other was given 70
Geiza, hungarian noble, less than 100
years later by the Byzantine Emperor,
Michael DuCas, and when Celia succeed
ed to the throne of Hungary he had the
two crowns made into one. In this shape
it looks the popular ideal of crown; O
broad gold ring, surmounted by four
golden bows that meet at the top. On
the rim at the starting point Of each of
the four is an enameled portrait. One
represents the Saviour, the other three
Celia, Michael Ducas and ConstantIus
Porphyrogenitus. Four smaller portraits
IN enamel on the front of the rim depict
the Archangels Michael and Gabriel and
the saints George and Demetrius. The
crown is covered with uncut sapphires,
amethysits and rubies.
The Hungarian people fairly revere this
crown. To them it stands for more than
the mere symbol of political sovereignty.
1t is the very palladium of Hungary. A
troop of halberdiers and two mobiles of
ancient lineage, VINO are responsible for
the treasure with their lives, guard it
night and day in the castle ut Buda,
where it is kept. In olden times no king
could reign in Hungary without it had
rested upon his brow. If he died before
he had been crowned his name was
stricken from the record OF kings. Even
a pretender acquired quasi title to the
kingdom if by force or strategem he
could possess himself of it. When the
last King of the house of Arpad died by
poison in the year 1901, the throne
became the prey Of rival claimants.
Charles Robert, Prince of Anjou, a nephew
of the King OF Naples, who was backed
by the See Of Rome, had the prize almost